


The City Doesn't Know

by CrypticNotCoy (Reveles)



Category: Shadowhunters (TV), The Mortal Instruments Series - Cassandra Clare
Genre: Angst, Broken Parabatai Bond, Grief/Mourning, Married Magnus Bane/Alec Lightwood, Multi, Parabatai Bond, Parabatai Feels
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-10-13
Updated: 2020-10-13
Packaged: 2021-03-07 23:27:21
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Major Character Death
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,109
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26985907
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Reveles/pseuds/CrypticNotCoy
Summary: New York keeps moving, even when an event shakes Magnus, and everyone close to him, to the core
Relationships: Alec Lightwood & Jace Wayland, Clary Fray/Jace Wayland, Magnus Bane/Alec Lightwood, Simon Lewis/Isabelle Lightwood
Comments: 6
Kudos: 54





	The City Doesn't Know

**Author's Note:**

> Another random idea that I had because I got some positive feedback on the last bit of angst I wrote! I hope you guys like this!

Magnus was with Jace and Izzy when it happened. They were gathered in the loft because the plan was to have a movie night after Alec, Simon and Clary got back from their patrol. It was something that they had done before and everyone found it fun. Of course, movie nights had stopped once Rafe and Max were adopted, but now that both boys had grown up and moved out, they were back to being a semi-regular occurrence. 

Normally Jace would be on patrol with them because he was Alec's parabatai, but he had been recently injured and had to stay home for a while (no Jace, iratzes do not fix everything. Just because your leg doesn't look like a banana anymore doesn't mean that you can go running around New York on it). 

They were all arguing on what movie to watch, and despite the fact that neither of them were particularly well versed in mundane culture, Izzy and Jace were incredibly opinionated when it came to entertainment.

"What about _The Martian_?" Izzy asked

Jace scrunched up his nose, "Sounds like some weird alien thing Simon would watch,"

"There are no aliens in that movie Jace. I would be happy to watch it," Magnus replied, trying not to roll his eyes. Every time one of them suggested a movie it would be immediately rebutted by the other. He couldn't wait until Alec got home because Alec had the uncanny talent of choosing something that pleased everyone.

"But it's literally called _The Martian_ , how can it not have aliens?" Jace asked, confused

"Because it's set on Mars," Magnus said, taking a long sip of his drink

"Right," Jace said, still looking at the movie warily. After only a moment, Jace's wary glare turned into one of utter pain.

"Come on Jace, it's not that bad of a suggestion," Izzy protested, misinterpreting her brother's pain as an insult to her movie selecting skills.

Magnus on the other hand, had frozen at seeing the look on Jace's face and the way his hand had moved to rest protectively on his hip, right over his parabatai rune. Magnus didn't notice that his own glass had fallen out of his hand and spilled all over his carpet. All he could think about was Alec. He had seen this kind of reaction in shadowhunters before and it could only mean one thing. A thing that Magnus did not, could not, would not, believe was happening.

Before he knew what he was doing, he had slid off the couch and dropped to his knees beside Jace who was sitting amongst a pile of DVD's.

"Is it Alec?" he asked, afraid of the answer

Jace looked up, tears glistening in his eyes and nodded, unable to speak because of the pain. Izzy gasped and immediately covered her mouth with her hand.

"No! No!" she whispered, "He's just hurt right? Jace, tell me he's just hurt!" she demanded, louder.

The small slither of hope that Magnus still held onto was shattered when Jace let out a strangled cry, curling in on himself. Once Jace straightened up again, his shaky hands lifted the hem of his shirt.

Magnus felt hot tears filling his eyes, spilling over at the sight of the once stark black rune, now faded to a pale scar. It felt like the universe was crashing down around him, the weight of surety suffocating him, leaving him gasping for air.

Everyone that Magnus had loved had left him eventually, many mortals through death. He felt foolish for thinking that he would have decades with Alec. The only one that he had ever felt like this for.

He was vaguely aware of Isabelle sitting down beside him, resting her head against his shoulder as she cried, Jace tracing the faded scars of the parabatai rune with shaking fingers. None of them fully able to comprehend what it meant. None of them really wanting too.

It felt like hours, but was really only a few minutes before Jace spoke, his voice hoarse with tears, "He's gone,"

Jace's words brought Magnus's attention back to his surroundings, before, he had been lost in his own grief clouded mind, his fingers absently stroking the golden band that adorned his left ring finger.

"He's gone," Izzy nodded, wiping at some of her tears

"We should find Simon and Clary. See if they need any help to, to... bring him back to the Institute," Jace said, his voice shaking with more unshed tears

Izzy nodded sadly, "Yeah. I know where they were patrolling. Magnus, can you portal us there?" Magnus didn't respond, glistening tears tracing their way down his face from his glassy cats eyes. "Magnus?" Izzy asked again

"If I had have been there..." Magnus started, before Izzy cut him off

"I know what you're going to say. None of us could have prevented this, don't beat yourself up. It's not what Alec would have wanted," Izzy said, surprisingly sternly for someone who had been crying their eyes out mere moments before.

Magnus let out a shaky breath before nodding and standing up, "I'll make the portal,"

After a few moments, they were all stepping out of a portal and into a dimly lit alley. They could see Simon and Clary at the end of the alley, their weapons discarded around them, a stele sitting uselessly in a puddle of crimson blood. Alec's bow lay against a wall, the sting broken, as if it had been ripped out of his hands.

Magnus took a shuddering breath, before making his way closer. Simon and Clary were crouching with their backs turned to the newly arrived group, obscuring their view. All Magnus could see were Alec's legs and he could almost imagine that he was just lying there injured. Almost.

Simon and Clary looked up as they approached, taking in their tearstained faces, and moved across so they could see. The sight made Magnus fall to his knees as a wave of fresh grief overtook him. Alec was lying there, a gaping hole in his chest from some kind of demon, his blue eyes open and unseeing, his skin much paler than it usually was.

The others were saying something, but Magnus couldn't hear as he stared in shock at the body of the man he loves, laying there on the cold pavement of an empty alley on an unassuming night in New York. 

The city continued to move around them, not knowing that a life had been given up for their safety. Not knowing that a group of angelic warriors stood watching as an immortal man cradled the dead body of his husband.

**Author's Note:**

> I know I don't usually write angst but because I killed Magnus in my last fic I just felt like I had to even it out ¯\\_(ツ)_/¯ I hope you guys liked this! I'm planning on writing something happier next (possibly a dating show/mundane AU with a twist). As always, feedback, comments and kudos are adored (but not necessary)! Until next time!  
> ~CrypticNotCoy


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